Have you been affected by the heat?

Updated

Thunderstorm leaves thousands without power in Montreal

Quebec health officials are investigating two deaths they say may be connected to the searing heat that has blanketed both Ontario and Quebec.

Richard Massé, the director of Montreal's public health service, has confirmed that one person died Tuesday, but the person had other health problems and was in a private institution. Officials are unsure whether the death is linked to the heat.

Another death was reported Wednesday in Montreal, and officials are investigating it in connection with the soaring temperatures. Massé is urging people to look out for each other.

Officials are urging anyone caught in the heat to drink lots of water and, if possible, seek relief in a local cooling centre, or even an air-conditioned movie theatre. At least one cooling centre was already open before sunrise in Toronto.

Public health officials are encouraging people to get indoors, get out of heat and into air-conditioned spaces. In Toronto, emergency cooling stations have been set up to offer relief from the heat downtown. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

A third straight day of temperatures above 32 degrees means locations like Ottawa and Toronto are officially in heat alerts.

Eighty Toronto city pools are open for extended hours as a result of the extreme heat.

Dr. David McKeown, Toronto's medical officer of health, says the alert will be in effect in Toronto until further notice.

The heat is also sparking high power usage. In southwestern Ontario, many communities hit peak power usage. Guelph Hydro said it expects to break its all-time usage record for the second day in a row on Wednesday.

Usage on Tuesday clocked in at 297 megawatts, according to Guelph Hydro spokesperson Sandy Manners.

"Because it was so hot out, of course everybody was using their air conditioners at full blast and we hit our record demand of 297 megawatts. So, we've never used so much electricity, let's put it that way," she said.